Pages

May 14, 2012

Weathered Wood Project

My obsession with making things from pallets continued this week when I made these vintage style crates and display trays for the Honest2Goodness market, which takes place every Saturday and Wednesday in Glasnevin.

Vintage Crates

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Display Trays

Image: Patent Pending Projects

The 'vintage style' element of the crates was pretty easy to achieve as the the wood used was fairly weathered already. However, what if you are using relatively new wood and need to create that old worn look?

Well there is a variety of ways to do this and most, if not all of them, involve sanding, staining, more sanding, denting with a hammer, burning slightly, waxing, polishing, a touch more sanding, a touch more denting - this time with rusty nails, lightly painting the wood followed by the partial removal of this light paint and finally finishing with a smidgen more sanding. Alternatively, you could just leave it outside in the rain for 3 months. Whichever method is quicker.

I have of course found a quicker way to do this, courtesy of Frugal Farmhouse Design who transformed this new timber table...

Before you treat the wood, you will need to make the mixture that will create your effect.
To do this you need to tear up the steel wool into small pieces and pop it inside the glass jar.
Next, pour in enough vinegar so that the steel wool is covered.
Pop the lid on top and let this sit for at least 24 hours. The longer you leave it - the darker the colour you will achieve.

After 24 hours you are ready to treat the wood.

Step 1. Take 2 tea bags and in a bowl, pour in enough boiling water for about 2 cups. Let the tea soak for a few minutes and then apply to the wood with the brush as if you were using paint.
It will look like a very light stain. Lets this dry completely.

Step 2. Once the tea stain is dry, apply the vinegar/steel wool mixture with the same method as the tea. The wood should start to change colour immediately.

Finish with a protective coat of varnish.

It's always a good idea to try this process out on a scrap piece of wood before trying it out on the actual wood you will be using.

There is a nice photographic tutorial of this process to be found over at Extreme Restoration and for those of you who prefer the sanding, denting, painting, stripping, sanding, waxing, burning approach - check out Young House Love for a one of a kind 12 foot long 'weathered look' console table.